Our Costs to Play - for the 2024/25 Competition Year

We strive to provide the highest value competitive soccer in the area.  As a not-for-profit we focus all of our fees are applied for the betterment of the teams and the players.  No single individual or group owns the USA Soccer Club ... as such, we are dedicated to maintaining relatively low operational costs while offering the highest quality soccer experience.

About Our Team Fee Structure:

In keeping with our family-focused, practical approach to club soccer, our fees are built with an a-la-carte framework.  Using this approach we do not lump all the club offerings under one price.  Rather, we have our base team fee and then provide the other offerings as separate costs.  Other clubs may lump all the costs together at a significant fee.  We follow the rationale that not all of our players may be able to attend all the opportunities.  If we lumped the cost under one fee, families would be "leaving money on the table" if they were unable to participate.  Additionally, lumping the costs together reduces the transparency of what families are getting for their money with each opportunity.  Our approach keeps money in the pockets of our families.

 

Our annual GVSA Team fees are built to provide each player with the following beyond covering our club overhead costs (state soccer fees, league soccer fees, field rental, equipment costs, coaching education, coaches stipend, operations staff salaries, etc.)

All USA Team fees provide each player with:

• Dedicated, nationally-licensed team coach
• Membership in the competitive league (GVSA or MSPSP)
• 2 practices per week for approximately 10 weeks per season
• 8 games (4 home and 4 away)
• USA In-Season Elevation Program (including goal keeper training)
• USA Pre-Tryout Camp
• Access to winter indoor league play and training (some at additional cost)
• Access to all Club programs (some at additional cost)
  • Summer Elevation Training Program
  • Summer Elevation United Club-wide Camp
  • Winter Elevation Training Program
  • Team-specific tournaments

* (see fee item above)  Premier Academy (teams that are the Red Teams in the U11 and U12 age groups) team fees include:

• The general team fee values listed above
• 75% reduction in participation fees for a single tournament (varies by team) - $600 team-level value
• 50% reduction in fee for Summer Elevation United Club-wide Camp
• 50% reduction in fee for Summer Elevation Training Program
• 50% reduction in fee for Winter Elevation Training Program

**   (see fee item above)  Premier Team fees include:

• The general team fee values listed above
• Free (or reduced cost) participation fees for the State Cup Tournament or for a single tournament (varies by team) - $800 team-level value
• Access to game videos from out VEO systems
• 75% reduction in fee for Summer Elevation United Club-wide Camp
• 75% reduction in fee for Summer Elevation Training Program
• 75% reduction in fee for Winter Elevation Training Program

Differences between team fees:

Our team fees are age group and league specific.  As teams get older, the team fees tend to increase.  This is largely due to the costs imposed on the club by the state and league organizations and the need for increased coaching credentials and coach investment.  MSPSP team fees are more than GVSA fees.  There are several additional overhead costs that the club faces with the MSPSP teams and that the teams benefit from (e.g., higher league fees, increased costs for team coaches, additional training space fees, etc.).

Simply put, the increased level of competition dictates the commitment of more time, energy, and financial support from the club and some of that must be reflected in our team fees.  However, we do not deviate from our fundamental belief that finances should not limit a child's participation.  As such, our financial aid program is extended fully across all of our players, regardless of the league in which their team plays.

Financial support:

We recognize the cost of playing club soccer is a serious consideration. USA feels strongly that finances must not limit opportunities to be part of our family of teams.  As such, we have a strong financial support program that includes payment plans and financial aid.  Pursuing a payment plan is our first line of aid.  We hope that simply spreading the cost out over a period of time will help our families manage the team fees while fully supporting the club operations.  Beyond that, we will pursue focused financial aid where the cost of team fees may be reduced or waived.  Processing of financial support occurs after team commitment and full player registration.  Details of financial support will be shared during the player registration process.  Our process is simple and private.

Refunds:

Upon commitment to a team, there will be no refunds.  Any refunds are at the discretion of the USA Board of Directors. Refunds will only be considered for individuals eliminated from team participation due to injury/illness or the unplanned dissolution of a team (refunds will only be given to those shown to have no active part in the dissolution). Any refund amounts are defined by the Board based on the individual circumstances (e.g., number of games played, impact to remainder of team, reason for refund, etc.).

Other costs:

USA tries to cover a majority of each players fundamental team costs through our team fees.  However, because we want to maximize access to additional training/development opportunities while minimizing the risk of families “leaving money on the table” (which happens with clubs that roll opportunities under one large fee), we take a more ‘a la carte’ approach.  Below are our current programs that have a cost.

All these offerings are optional except the Uniform Kit.  Every player must purchase the basic kit (3 tops, 1 shorts, 1 socks).  We maintain our kits for two years (i.e., families purchase them every other year).  That is another practical effort to maintain high value for our families.